Visa Wait Times: Who’s Waiting and For How Long?

Visa wait times: Not all are created equal. And when it comes to relocating to the United States, nationals of countries with a high volume of immigrants must wait a great deal longer than others.

Immigrant visas are designated for individuals who wish to relocate permanently to the United States, and depending on your personal and professional circumstances, they can be very difficult to obtain. Over 4 million foreign citizens are currently waiting for the opportunity to move permanently to the United States through a green card.

U.S. Visa Wait Times for Foreign Workers

Employment-based immigrant visa petitions will commonly take less time than family-based visas for a number of reasons, including:

There are far fewer employment-based applications due to low government caps.

The work-based visa application process requires the applicant and his or her employer to provide an exceptionally detailed amount of information before proceeding.

The United States has five major types of employment-based green cards: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4 and EB-5. Their wait times depend on the applicant’s country of origin and priority level. Individuals from India or China could wait years before receiving a green card. While people from other countries could have a shorter wait time. Check out our policy updates blog for information on monthly priority dates via the Visa Bulletin.

U.S Visa Wait Times for Family Members

Like employment-based visas, family visas or green card petitions are segmented into different priority levels. Applicants with U.S. citizen family petitioners will have priority over those with family members who only have green cards.

The different types of family-sponsored visa categories are:

F-1: Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

F-2: Spouses and children of Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs)

F-2A: Spouses and children of LPRs

F-2B: Unmarried adult children of LPRs

F-3: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

F-4: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens

Visa Wait Times by Country of Origin

U.S. immigration policy limits the yearly amount of green cards granted to citizens of a specific country, which mean that high-volume immigration countries like India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines experience the longest U.S. visa wait times.